Is It Weird for a Guy to Apply to a Witch School?

Chapter 551: The Persuader - Book in the Casket

Led by Natalie, I followed her as we walked down.

I had anticipated that there was a space below, but I hadn’t expected it to be a massive testing area personally carved out by Natalie!

In fact, the Academy had designated areas for testing the power of weapons or Spellbooks.

The Spell Testing Ground also allowed for the power testing of alchemical items.

Not only that, but it also provided many supplies for testing.

However, after arriving at the testing ground Natalie had carved out underground, I immediately stopped talking.

The area was much larger than I had anticipated.

Spatial Extension Runes and Spatial Reinforcement Runes were interwoven, and Runes responsible for illumination were placed on the ceiling.

There were also many Rune combinations I had never seen before.

After a brief deduction, I even felt a sense of joy at having learned something.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid there’s a risk in testing the weapon’s power in a confined underground space?”

“Oh, no. I can discern the Rune arrangement here. I’m just very surprised. These Rune combinations…”

“These are not the standard composite Runes recorded in books. They are composite Runes created through continuous practice and a tiny bit of luck. The quality is naturally exceptional!”

Natalie saw I was shocked by her skill and immediately introduced her creation to me.

But we were here to test the weapon’s power, so Natalie quickly got to the point.

“Mmm, mmm… Then let’s get right down to business. Based on the original design idea and the creative points you proposed, let’s briefly divide this test into three steps.”

“Three steps? Oh… alright then.”

I hadn’t expected Natalie to be so formal.

I was just planning to try out the power.

“Based on your requirements, the first step is to test the sturdiness of the Book in the Casket. Then, its augmentation of Spells as a Spellbook-style weapon. However, no spells have been Solidified on it yet, so there’s no inherent power test. Finally, we’ll test its functional capabilities.”

“Then let’s start with the sturdiness test?”

I held the Book in the Casket in my hand, feeling eager to try it.

“Do you have a target for the test?”

“Of course, I do.”

Natalie snapped her fingers, and a summoning ritual appeared in the large testing ground.

Immediately, a colossal body carrying a thick, earthy aura of dust appeared.

“Using a Summoned Creature as a Test Target?”

My eyes widened.

I found this very novel.

“Yes. How convenient is this method? Wouldn’t a single-use Test Target be a waste?”

Natalie said matter-of-factly.

“Mmm… but I remember this section of the Alchemy zone seems to have a method for Earth Vein Reconstruction, right?”

I asked again.

“That method…”

Natalie was a little surprised by my question, but thinking of the Seed of Great Knowledge’s effect, she wasn’t surprised anymore.

“That method can’t be used for such trivial matters! That’s a one-click repair that can only be activated when the entire Alchemy room is damaged beyond repair. If I were found to activate the one-click repair just to fix some Test Targets, I would become the subject of afternoon gossip! I won’t do such a thing!”

“I was just curious. It seems the cost of using that ability is quite high?”

“Mmm. In any case, using it once requires registering an application, which is a hassle. I applied once before… Don’t look at me like that. I am an Alchemist, and mistakes happen. Occasionally blowing up the Alchemy room is a normal occurrence.”

Natalie immediately defended herself after seeing my surprised look midway through her explanation.

“I totally understand that. Then, I’ll go ahead and try it.”

I quickly ended that conversation, steering the matter toward the test.

“Yes, go ahead and try. This is only one hit. Try more. Test both the Casket and the book body. I need to collect some data.”

Natalie quickly suggested to me, simultaneously pulling out a display panel.

This panel was a function built upon the Great Tree of Knowledge.

She found that since the introduction of the Earth Vein Appraisal Spell, collecting test data had become much easier.

She felt that many of the monitoring alchemical instruments in the Alchemy room would probably start gathering dust.

Once she adapted to some of the peculiar characteristics of the Earth Vein Appraisal Spell, this ability became truly addictive.

As long as the experiment data was recorded by the Earth Vein, she could directly obtain the observed data, even ignoring the need for instrument precision.

The only slight imperfection was that some of the content displayed by the Appraisal Spell was missing, but after she supplemented the setting and concepts herself, she found it easier and easier to use.

While she was engrossed in data collection, I began to fiercely attack the large figure in front of me.

This huge Rock Golem was similar to the previous method, but the deterrence or Energy Level it brought… could already rival the Ancient Glacial Ice Transformation Spell that Tan Han once possessed.

The only difference was that this Rock Golem would not retaliate.

I struck again with the same force as before, and I was indeed unable to destroy the figure in one hit this time.

Instead, I shattered a part of its body, but the powerful regenerative ability quickly restored the scattered rocks.

Afterward, I consecutively tried various attack angles of the Casket—”point, line, plane”—and the resulting force displayed different manifestations.

Moreover… only after Natalie’s reminder did I realize that directly attacking with brute force was only a general attack.

The Book in the Casket had another way to augment the user.

Natalie had created many beneficial weapons for Body Cultivators.

She had also deliberately studied the power of Body Cultivators.

Due to the nature of Body Cultivation, many actively activated attack methods were not very suitable for the weapons held by Body Cultivators.

Therefore, the augmentation that complemented Body Cultivation was Body Cultivation Energy.

When the weapon was augmented with Body Cultivation Energy, it would unleash far more potent destructive power than brute force alone!

Of course, after removing the book from the Casket, the book itself also had augmentation Spells for power, and so on.

Due to the limited compatibility between Body Cultivation weapons and Magical Artifacts, the detachable structure of the Book in the Casket perfectly integrated both power systems.

However, simply holding the book would not benefit from the augmentation of Body Cultivation Energy.

As compensation, did the book have Solidified Spells such as Power Augmentation, Weak Point Penetration, and Multiple Strikes to compensate?

That was roughly the case.

After a series of tests, I handed the Book in the Casket on my hand to Natalie.

After confirming that the Book in the Casket itself had no problems, the sturdiness test was deemed sufficient.

In fact, most customized high-end alchemical weapons had a certain degree of self-repair capability, but the limit of this ability was very restricted.

Small nicks and so on could generally be repaired on their own, but large gaps were a bit difficult.

So… next time I planned to use the book to hit someone, it was best to place it in the Casket first.

It didn’t take much time anyway.

The next test was its capability to assist in Spell Casting, similar to a Magic Wand.

These capabilities were the basic functions on the inner pages of the book.

Although the Book in the Casket had many inner pages, most of them were blank, which made its plasticity extremely strong.

After all, the raw material for the inner pages was provided by Academy Head Mei.

The first few pages were thoughtfully refined by Natalie into a table of contents for me, making it easy to find things when the Book in the Casket contained too many items later.

The table of contents would save a lot of trouble, and I wouldn’t need to flip to that specific page to use the corresponding ability.

The subsequent preface section introduced the inherent abilities of the Book in the Casket, and also… everything a Magic Wand could achieve.

For example… rapid Spell Casting, fast incantation, quick Ritual construction, Elemental Resonance, and so on.

And this entire series of capabilities, encompassing most of a Magic Wand’s functions, occupied only one page of the Book in the Casket’s inner pages.

One could imagine how terrifying the material of these inner pages truly was.

Moreover, the first half of this page even contained a seemingly useless preface introduction.

I naturally asked Natalie why she would waste so much space writing a preface.

But she provided the following response:

The preface was a necessary part of a book, and it was a suggestion to the user, reminding them of the weapon’s intended purpose.

After all, its plasticity was too high.

The more it was used, the more abilities it would acquire.

Many abilities could easily cause the user to get lost, losing sight of the importance and the main theme.

Therefore, the design of the preface occupying one page was very necessary.

If I didn’t heed her advice, I could erase it, which wouldn’t hinder its use.

And I… naturally accepted this design because I felt it was truly necessary.

After a series of Spell tests, I felt the augmentation it brought me.

This was much more potent than the Magic Wand I had custom-ordered upon enrollment!

This augmentation… even gave me the feeling that it counteracted the comprehensive weakening brought by the Great Weakening Spell.

However, this illusion of ”counteraction” was purely reflected in the aspect of aggressiveness.

After all, one weapon could not counteract the Spell effect of a Grand Spellbook.

Following the completion of the Spell test results, Natalie suddenly took out a long, sheathed saber from her Storage Equipment.

“Hmm? Big Sis Natalie… what is this?”

I looked at Natalie curiously, unsure of what she was doing or why she had brought out a long saber.

“Of course, it’s to test the Book in the Casket’s function of collecting weapons. This saber… how should I put it? It’s an experimental piece from when I was refining a weapon system for Body Cultivation powerhouses. It can’t be called a failure, but it’s been sitting here with me. I’m giving it to you now, and you can try out whether it’s easy to use.”

Natalie played with the saber, then tossed it to me without giving me a chance to refuse.

I quickly caught the saber.

Holding the sheath and the hilt in both hands, I felt a sharpness that was completely different from the aura of a Spell Casting weapon like the Book in the Casket.

When I subconsciously drew the blade, it brought a sense of tangible sharpness.

“Thank you, Big Sis Natalie.”

“It’s nothing. Just don’t tell Mei Linde that I secretly processed the scraps of her precious materials. I have already planned to use those scraps for a critical component in another of my inspired designs.”

“Ah? Oh! Okay, okay!”

I repeatedly nodded, agreeing to keep this a secret for Natalie.

Though, if she hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have known anyway...

“Let’s continue with the final functional test. Actually, the capability of collecting, achieved through the Sealing Spell, is not just limited to collecting weapons. I told you this before, didn’t I? This material can also carry Spellbooks, execute Spells through command, and also collect the residual Spell effects after casting.”

“Now, I will teach you how to perform the collection. Once you learn, even without me in the future, you can perform simple weapon or spell collection.”

“However, learning this collection technique requires first mastering a certain level of theoretical foundation in the Sealing Spell. I heard the Seed of Great Knowledge can share knowledge with you. How should we go about this?”

“Just back up the knowledge you want to share into the Tree of Knowledge,” I explained.

“Heh That’s really convenient. Then this will be very simple,” Natalie chuckled and said.

“By the way, have you thought of a name for your weapon? Or should we continue to use the name Book in the Casket?”

“Hmm… I don’t think I consciously thought of one.”

I flipped through the book in my hand, and an idea suddenly popped into my mind.

“How about… The Persuader? The Persuader - Book in the Casket.”

“The Persuader…”

Natalie was momentarily stunned by my somewhat eccentric name, but only after a brief pause did she connect it.

“That is truly very persuasive.”

Thinking this, Natalie subconsciously felt like smiling.

She wondered what Mei Linde would think when she learned that so many of her precious materials were used by Little Han to hit people.